General | 10/13/2025 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 13, 2025, for games played from October 6 – October 12. It is the seventh Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Amos Bixler, Houghton, Sr., Dalton, OH/Central Christian
Bixler was the top Empire 8 finisher at the 2025 Houghton Highlander Invitational at Field of Dreams Park on Saturday, finishing sixth out of 214 runners, covering the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24:58.3 with a 5:02 mile rate. It is his second E8 weekly honor of 2025.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ethne Degan, SUNY Brockport, So., Bainbridge, NY/Bainbridge Guilford
Degan was the top Empire 8 finisher at the 2025 Houghton Highlander Invitational at Field of Dreams Park on Saturday, finishing sixth out of 188 runners, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:12.2 with a 5:58 mile rate. It is Degan's second E8 weekly honor of the season.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Michaela Cushman, Nazareth, So., F/M, Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent
Cushman Registered eight points on three goals and two assists in two wins for Nazareth
. She tallied a goal and an assist in 2-1 win over Utica on Wednesday and notched two goals and one assist on five shots in 4-0 shutout of Russell Sage on Saturday. She now has 24 points on the season (nine goals and six assists) and is second in the league averaging 2.18 points per game.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Aubree Wenner, SUNY Geneseo, So., F, Vestal, NY/Vestal
Wenner recorded three goals and two assists this week to help the Knights improve to 13-1 overall and extend their winning streak to nine games. Geneseo defeated No. 22 Rochester, 1-0, on Wednesday behind Wenner's goal, then she netted the double overtime winner to knock off Susquehanna on Sunday, while adding an assist on their goal in the 56th minute to force overtime. Wenner also tacked on an assist and a goal in Geneseo's 5-0 win over Keuka on Saturday. Wenner has 11 goals and 25 points in 2025 and is now a two-time E8 Offensive Player of the Week.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katelyn Klotz, Hartwick, Jr., D, South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls
Klotz made her presence felt in two conference wins from the backline, recording five goals on two goals and an assist, while holding opponents to one goal and 12 total shots. She had a goal and an assist in a 6-0 win over Russell Sage Wednesday and scored in a 5-1 victory over SUNY Brockport Saturday.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mason Lister, St. John Fisher, Jr., QB, Sayre, PA/Athens Area
Lister went 16-of-21 through the air for a career high 356 yards, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for one score in a 35-21 victory over Hartwick on Saturday in Oneonta. The performance made him the first Fisher player to account for five touchdowns in a game since quarterback Matt Naton had six passing touchdowns in a win over Hartwick in 2016. The Cardinals improved to 5-1 in 2025 with the win.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Isaiah Thomas, Utica, So., LB, Kingston, NY/Kingston
Thomas put together another big outing in the Pioneers’ 27-21 win vs Morrisville, logging an unbelievable game-high 17 tackles (four solo), while also recording a key quarterback hurry to help seal the game in the final moments. His 17 tackles tied for 10th in the Pioneers' single-game total tackles column.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Devin Taylor, Utica, Sr., P, New Port Richey, FL/Wendell Krinn Technical
Taylor helped set the Utica defense up for success in a big 27-21 win over Morrisville on Saturday. The Pioneer punter boomed all three of his kicks during the contest, averaging 43.7 yards per kick and even launching a 50-yard boot late in the game. That last kick pinned the Mustangs back inside their own 20, setting up a big stop with the clock winding down. His ability to flip the field was integral in a slow and methodical matchup between the two teams.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Byamungu Mugushu, Utica, Gr., F, Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes
Mugushu recorded four goals in a pair of Empire 8 contests during the week, leading the Pioneers to a 1-0-1 mark. On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for all three goals in the 3-0 win over Russell Sage. This was the second hat-trick of his career and his third multi-goal game of the 2025 season. Mugushu added a goal on a penalty kick in the team's most recent matchup, a 2-2 tie at Alfred Saturday, bringing his career points total to 78, tying Utica's program record. It is Mugushu’s second E8 weekly honor of 2025.
I
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – AJ Nelson, SUNY Brockport, So., GK, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Beginning the season unbeaten at 5-0-1, AJ Nelson led the Golden Eagles to a 2-0 week, making four saves on the week and posting his third shutout of the year in a 1-0 win against St. John Fisher.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – McKenna Slate, SUNY Brockport, Jr., F, Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Early on in the second half, Slate found the back of the net just five minutes in to put the Golden Eagles on top in an eventual 1-0 win over St. John Fisher in a battle of Empire 8 unbeaten teams on Saturday. Playing 62 minutes in the matchup, she had one shot and one on goal.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jenna Mierek, Hartwick, Sr., D, Prospect, NY/Woodland Regional
Mierek made a major impact all over the pitch on both ends for Hartwick, pouring in three assists in Wednesday's 5-0 win over Elmira as well as commanding the backline, helping lead the Hawks to a pair of clean sheets over the two matches, which also included a scoreless draw against Houghton.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samantha Lantzy, Hartwick, So., Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane
Lantzy was pivotal in helping the Hawks clinch their fourth consecutive regular season title with a 6-1 win over the Cardinals on Saturday. She began the day with a 6-1 win at No.2 doubles with Lily Vanuga over Fisher's Lily Miller and Tiana Buttino before ending the day with a statement, winning 6-4, 6-2 over Lilly Renzi at first singles. It is Lantzy's third E8 Player of the Week honor this season.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Phoebe Olson, Hartwick, Sr., Jamestown, ND/Jamestown
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Gianna Leggieri, Hartwick, Jr., Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Olson and Gianna Leggieri set the tone for the Hawks on Saturday, being the first ones off the court with a 6-1 win over Eliana Kelly and Lilly Renzi at No.1 doubles en route to clinching their fourth consecutive regular season title.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaylene Noble, St. John Fisher, Jr., OH, Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Noble accounted for 26 points over six sets, while slamming 25 kills in a pair of wins over E8 foes Hartwick and Russell Sage to extend St. John Fisher’s winning streak to 19 matches. She slammed 14 kills while hitting .364 to go along with 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season in a sweep of Hartwick on Friday. On Saturday, she had 11 kills and seven digs with a sweep of Russell Sage. It is her third E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kalyna Dannenberg, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Dannenberg hit .390 accounted for 24 points as the Cardinals swept Hartwick and Russell Sage to push their winning streak to 19 matches over the weekend. Dannenberg had 11 kills while hitting .333 and totaled 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season on Friday against Hartwick. She followed that up on Saturday against Russell Sage by slamming 10 kills while hitting .471. She also had eight digs in the match. It is Dannenberg’s fifth E8 Rookie of the Week honor in 2025.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Madisen Jones, SUNY Brockport, Fr., OH, Elmira, NY/Elmira
Jones was highly productive for the Golden Eagles across to wins in E8 play this past weekend. She totaled 22 kills, seven service aces, 17 digs, and two block assists in seven sets of action in wins over Keuka and Elmira. With 46 total attempts offensively, she registered an attack percentage of .391 in the pair of victories.